Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a broadband wireless access technology based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16-2004 as amended by IEEE 802.16e-2005 (released Feb. 28, 2006) (hereinafter “IEEE 802.16e”). Mobile WiMAX utilizes a scalable orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) scheme to deliver wireless broadband packet data services to mobile terminals. In mobile WiMAX, the system configuration information is transmitted from the base station (BS) to the subscriber stations (SSs) by using Downlink Channel Descriptor (DCD) and Uplink Channel Descriptor UCD) messages. The DCD and UCD messages are typically contained in the downlink section of a time division duplex (TDD) frame and similarly in the downlink frame in frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, and their location in that section is pointed to by an information element (IE) in the downlink medium access protocol (MAP). To acquire this information, the SS must therefore synchronize on the radio frame, receive and decode the frame control header (FCH) and the downlink (DL) MAP, then process and receive the downlink burst where the system configuration information (also referred to as broadcast channel (BCH)) is located. That is when the SS can make a decision on the attachment to the current BS. Furthermore, the DCD/UCD contains some optional fields that are not necessary for the standard operation of the SS and the rate at which certain information in DCD/UCD is repeated and/or updated varies from one field to another. Due to large size of the DCD/UCD message, this information is broadcasted periodically in large intervals. The SS cannot continue with network entry/re-entry procedure before system configuration information or the broadcast channel is successfully acquired. The scan latency would increase as a result of an increase in initialization time and the SS would consume more power during DCD/UCD acquisition.